Friday, May 28, 2010

We would like to take a brief moment to say thank you to all the men and women, past and present, who do what they do on a daily basis to protect our way of life. You probably don't hear it enough but thank you, we appreciate it. Without further adue welcome to this week's stars and stripes inspired patriotic Friday Finds segment. Happy Memorial day weekend!

naomisnotionsThere's something about stars and stripes on a wood medium that just looks proper. We really like Naomi's Petit Angel Girl piece. To see a few more examples of Naomi's mixed media work please check out her Etsy shop.

CindysCardsandArtIt doesn't get much more patriotic than the Star Spangled Banner! When we came across Cindy's Star Spangled Banner original watercolor painting we knew we had to feature it. While we're on the subject of the Star Spangled Banner, a slightly lesser known fact: while our national anthem is the first verse of Francis Scott Key's poem, the poem is actually four verses long and the motto "In God We Trust" was taken from the fourth verse of the poem :) To see more of Cindy's great work please visit her Etsy shop.

wendellfiockWow, check out wendellfiock's mixed medium stars and stripes tribute. Wendell's 'American Flag' is awesome! Be sure to check out the closeup photos for this piece, each state is represented in the squares that make up the flag. Check out wendellfiock's shop to see some more great pastel, ink, and mixed medium work.

senioritis This week we pay a stars and stripes tribute to General George S. Patton. To see more of our tributes, including many other patriotic figures, please visit ourEtsy shop.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

This week's featured artist is Emelia Jane Photography!Senioritis: Name and location please. EmeliaJane: Emelia Jane Fleck, Shelburne Falls, MA.Senioritis: Ahh a New Englander! Hi Emelia, we have a lot of family up in MA ;)

Senioritis: Can you please tell us a little about yourself?EmeliaJane: My name is Emelia and I have been completely enthralled with photography for as long as I can remember. I am inspired by the unusual and extraordinary beauty hiding within ordinary objects. It brings me so much pleasure to know that when I capture an image in my lens, that flash in time will never recur, however it will live on forever in my photograph. I love looking at an image and being transported to the feeling of that particular moment in time; the smell of a garden in the early morning, the electricity before a summer storm, the warmth of a loved possession! Other than being a photographer I am an avid illustrator (I have a second Etsy shop BelliUccelli), old cemetery enthusiast, treasure hunter and lover of chocolate! Senioritis: Wow, we feel like we've known you for years ;) We're not too great with a camera but we know what you mean about being able to capture a moment that will never happen again; definitely a very cool feeling. I can't say that we've met many old cemetary enthusiasts but we do like the Michael Jackson Thriller video :) Have you found any good treasure during your hunting?Senioritis: How would you describe your style Emelia?EmeliaJane: Memorable, Natural, Enchanting, Unique.Senioritis: We would definitely agree, we think the way you capture images is awesome!

Senioritis: Do you have a favorite color Emelia?EmeliaJane: I have many but lately my favorite has been Aqua!

Senioritis: Are your a righty or a lefty?EmeliaJane: Righty.Senioritis: Hmm, the fact that you're a righty and a photographer got me thinking; do they make cameras for leftys where the shutter release button is on the left hand side?

Senioritis: Emelia, do you have a favorite quote? EmeliaJane: Be to others kind and true as you'd have others be to you.Senioritis: Sounds a bit like the golden rule to us, can never go wrong with these words of wisdom!

Senioritis: If you could have lunch with someone famous, past or present, who would it be? EmeliaJane: Daniel Webster. He was my cousin 9 times removed and I am just so curious!Senioritis: Wow, we're not sure which is cooler the fact that Daniel Webster was your cousin or the fact that you can trace your family that far out ;) Senioritis: What's your favorite cartoon, from now or when you were a kid?EmeliaJane: Hands down The Pink Panther! I adore the early cartoons, the ones where no one talks and there is no laugh track, brilliant!Senioritis: Anyone else hear the Pink Panther music? Pink Panther is definitely a classic!

Senioritis: Emelia, where do you see yourself and your business in 10 years? EmeliaJane: Oooo! In 10 years I have a beautiful little yellow bungalow with a huge sycamore tree out front and a front and back porch, a garden and three chickens :) I have visited at least half of the destinations on my travel list (China, New Zealand and Africa are a must) and I am continuing to be a full time photographer and illustrator, always creating and enjoying my art! Whoa, I got excited about that question! :)Senioritis: Sounds good to us! My sister Jillian spent some time in New Zealand and loved it. What other destinations are on your travel list?

Senioritis: Are there any websites you'd like to share with us?EmeliaJane: belliuccelli shopemeliajane.weebly.comSenioritis: Any shoutouts?EmeliaJane: My wonderful family and friends for supporting me 100%! and...

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

As many of you already know, here at senioritis one of the things we do is pay tribute to inspirational and motivational seniors throughout time and history with colorful (most of the time at least) art tributes.

We have already paid tribute to many people throughout the ages who have inspired us but now we want some input from you guys. Who inspires you?

We are very pleased to be anouncing our first contest; with a senioritis twist of course. Don't worry, it will be just like every other contest you've ever entered but different. Long story short, you, our readers, are going to help us choose a Famous Senior to pay tribute to!

What's in it for you: One winner will receive an 11x17" print and bookmark with a design they help us create, for free. Yes, for free ;)How do you enter:That's the easy part! You don't need to follow our blog, like us on facebook, or follow us on twitter (although if you like our style we certainly won't hold any of these actions against you).

To enter simplycomment below this post letting us know a quote that inspires you as well as who said it; keep in mind we are looking for people that are no longer among the living :)Please, please, please leave us a way to contact you as well whether it be email, blog, twitter, where to send the smoke signals, whatever you prefer. It would be a shame if we chose you as the winner but didn't have a way to contact you :*(

Contest Terms: Each comment containing 1 quote will count as 1 entry. We will allow a maximum of 2 entries (2 submitted quotes) per person. If more than 2 entries are submitted don't worry we don't chop off any hands, we will simply consider your first 2 entries.The contest will start today, 5/25/10 and will end next Wednesday 6/2/10. At the end of the contest period a winner will be chosen and we will contact the winner to help us begin creating a new design!

Once the design is created the winner will receive an 11x17" print and bookmark based on the design they help us create. The winning design will then be added to our Etsy shop as a Limited Edition (run of 10) 11x17" print and will be available for purchase.

Fine Print: 1. No purchase is required for entry, nor will a purchase improve an entrant's chances of winning. 2. The winner will be contacted via the provided contact method. 3. All entrants must have a valid shipping address. 4. The winner may not request a substitute prize. 5. Senioritis reserves the right to alter these rules at any time for any or no reason.

That should cover just about everything; any questions just post them in the comments section or please feel free toemail us. We look forward to seeing who inspires you. Good luck and let's see some quotes!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

We have great news to share with our devoted readers. Senioritis can now be found at a real, solid, brick and mortar store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Our friend Stephanie over at Stoopher & Boots has opened a terrific shop over on Amsterdam, between 78th and 79th, chock full of gifts and so much more!

If you find yourself in Manhattan, stop by and check it out. If you're elsewhere, you can still get your Stoopher & Boots fix online, here.

You can also find photos of the shop taken during its fabulous grand opening party here.

Friday, May 21, 2010

The end of May is upon us which mean one thing (well it means several things really but for the purposes of today's post it means one thing), Father's Day and graduations are fastly approaching. In today's Friday Finds segment we highlight some cool unique gifts for the dads or grads in your life. Happy Friday, hope you enjoy ;)

cufflinksIf your dad is like ours, the need to where cufflinks doesn't arise very often, but when it does why not have some fun with it? My personal favorite is a pair of silver links I have that are flickr images that switch between an angel and a devil depending on the angle but alas I digress. My point is that formal can still be fun and nobody displays that better than cufflinks. Cufflinks' work definitely brings a welcomed splash of fun and color to the formal scene. Below are a few of my favorites; to see more of cufflinks' work please check out his Etsy shop.

ToiluxeIs dad a Casablanca fan? Is your new grad always playing poker? If you know what they like but don't know what they have look no further than Toiluxe. Toiluxe brings art to the wash room, creating one of a kind toilet seats and switch plates that will make the perfect gift for the dad or grad who has everything. To see more of Toiluxe's unique and awesome work swing by her Etsy shop.

senioritis Who doesn't like Ol' Blue Eyes? What better way to remind your dad or grad that they've got the world on a string than with our tribute to Frankie? Francis Albert, we salute you. To see more of our tributes please visit ourEtsy shop.

Senioritis: Can you please tell us a little about yourself?jessiemacCreations: I have been scrapbooking since my daughter was born 12 years ago. I love working with paper goods and letting the creativity flow! Recently I recruited my husband into the paper goodies business and we now work together making paper treats for all occasions! This is our second business venture together; our first is a passion all it's own....We do custom aquariums full time and paper fun part time. Senioritis: Wow, that's awesome that you guys get to work together in 2 different businesses that you are so passionate about; that's pretty rare in today's society. We had a chance to check out your custom aquariums site, very cool work. Is your daughter a crafter or does she prefer the fish? Senioritis: How would you describe your style?jessiemacCreations: Shabby Chic, Nautical, Nostalgic, Whimsical.Senioritis: That sounds good to us!

Senioritis: Do you have a favorite color Jessica?jessiemacCreations: Blue.

Senioritis: Are your a righty or a lefty?jessiemacCreations: Righty.Senioritis: Hmm...another righty. Is your husband or daughter a lefty by any chance?

Senioritis: Jessica, do you have a favorite quote? jessiemacCreations: "You're Never Too Late to be What You Might Have Been" - George EliotSenioritis: Wow, awesome quote; great words to remember.

Senioritis: If you could have lunch with someone famous, past or present, who would it be? jessiemacCreations: John Lennon. Not only am I a fan but I'd also like to pick his brain about what it's like to transcend an entire genre and change how the world looks at something.Senioritis: We would be very interested to hear what Lennon has to say as well.Senioritis: What's your favorite cartoon, from now or when you were a kid?jessiemacCreations: Spongebob (sad I know).Senioritis: Hmm, maybe the interest in Spongebob stems from your passion for aqauriums; Patrick makes me laugh ;)

Senioritis: Jessica, where do you see yourself and your business in 10 years? jessiemacCreations: Booming! We are in the infancy stages of our second business and we feel that we already have a steady following. If we continue to enrich past experiences and tap into our inner whimsy, we will be well on our way to great success.Senioritis: Awesome! That's great that you and your husband have the opportunity to apply lessons learned from your first business to your handmade business. It's great to hear that you have already developed a following as well ;)

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

So sorry avid senioritis blog followers for my tardy post. I graduated on Sunday and so was too depressed all day yesterday to write. I am always sad to leave all my friends and go home for the summer, but this year is even worse knowing that I will not be coming back. Binghamton has treated me well these past four years and it will be harder to leave behind than I ever could have imagined. As I begin to pack up my room and watch my closest friends leave I can't help but feel that the best four years of my life thus far are over, and that even though I will keep in touch with my bestest buds, most of the friendships I have made here are over. I know I must look towards my bright future and not the past, but that is becoming increasingly hard as my friends make collages and slideshows to relive our college experience. A good friend reminded me that I have a job for the summer and got into law school so I have nothing to be sad about, but while this may be true it does not calm the fear and sadness washing over me. I am nervous to leave college where the living was oh so easy and become a real person. I am terrified to enter the real world with seemingly never ending responsibilities and obstacles to overcome. That being said I must remember one of my favorite quotes I learned from the cartoon Disney movie Meet the Robinsons that simply states "keep moving forward."

Sadly this must be a short post as I still need to pack up my room, no small feat I might add. Even though classes are over the work to be done never ends, stay lazy my friends.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

The recent amazing weather in New York City has made weekends off from work a thing to be celebrated. And what better way to celebrate than to enjoy the great outdoors? Skeptics might say that being outside in NYC's concrete jungle doesn't even compare to places with more greenery. But these folks are mistaken. NYC does several things better than other cities in the summer (free concerts in the various parks; Mister Softee on every corner; biking and running races all over the city) - and one thing, in particular, stands out: rooftops. With so little open outdoor space, New Yorkers make terrific use of their rooftops. My own rooftop often features people laying out, hoping for a tan while reading or listening to music. But I'm not talking about such inconsequential rooftop use. No, what I'm thinking of is the vast number of rooftops where bands play, movies are shown, and art is displayed.

I recently checked out the new bamboo exhibit on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Built by artists and rockclimbers, "Big Bambu" is a huge structure built entirely (as far as I could tell) out of bamboo rods and climbing rope. And visitors can even climb up inside the structure, following pedestrian paths created by the artists (twin brothers). (Think, the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, only better.) It's still a work in progress (set to wrap up in October), but it is definitely worth checking out for those living in/visiting NYC this summer.

For information on this summer's Rooftop Film Series, check out http://www.rooftopfilms.com/.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Well, after a brief hiatus, welcome back to Friday Finds. I was dusting off my vinyl collection today when I had a bit of an A-Ha moment (not the Take On Me guys). I said to myself, self, let's see what vinyl we can find from our friends on Etsy. Here's a few of my favorites, hope you enjoy ;)

vmgceramicsTo see more of vmgceramic's work please check out her Etsy shop.

superpao

BananaFairy59To see more of BananaFairy59's work swing by her Etsy shop.

senioritis If there was a Famous Senior that we would want to immortalize in vinyl it would definitely be this dude, Albert Einstein we salute you. To see more of our tributes please visit ourEtsy shop.